Persona: Guiding Light
by Lady Starwing
Summary: "My body is but wax and wick for flame. When the candle burns out, the light shines elsewhere." Chaos re-emerges twenty-five years after the end of Persona 4. It's up to the next generation to figure out what is going on .. Next Generation story. Both P3 and P4 involved, with elements of Devil Survivor and Raidou Kuzunoha thrown in. RATING SUBJECT TO CHANGE LATER FOR VIOLENCE.
1. Prologue: The New Heir

(Midnight, Shirogane Mansion)

Aragaki Shinjiro looked up at the sky for a moment, eyes sad. The sky was dark and filled with stars, the full moon large and bright. It was so hard to believe that it had been eight years already … Shaking his head, Shinjiro bent down to pick up the suitcase he had sitting at his feet. He had been shocked that Hamuko's family had offered to take him in; he and Hamuko hadn't married. Hell, they had barely dated one another for a few weeks!

Looking at the other object on the ground next to him, he smiled and picked up the baby carrier. "Heh, I guess they wanted to make sure nothing happens to you …" Looking down at the sleeping infant inside of the carrier, Shinjiro smiled more before drawing a deep breath, looking at the door in front of him. "… Well, here we go …" Pushing open the door in front of him, he stepped inside.

The inside of the mansion house was impressive, if very traditional. There were several sliding doors lining the hallway he was standing in, each one with a different pattern on them. The recessed lighting was tinted in red to make it easier on the servants who clearly had to work the midnight shift, and seemed to be designed to hide the – fake or stuffed, Shinjiro hoped – red-eyed crows and ravens watching from above.

Looking down at the infant, Shinjiro chuckled. "Heh, you must be tired. then again, it is pretty late …" Shaking his head, he looked down the hall again. "… I guess I should walk until we meet someone, eh? Hamuko's sister said someone would meet us here …" walking forward, shinjiro couldn't help but wince at how loud his footsteps sounded in the stillness.

It only took a few seconds of walking forward for something to respond. A quick dart of fast shadows made Shinjiro jerk his head to follow it, only to see that it was a large, ink-black cat with large green eyes, a distinct collar with strange seals and writing on it around its throat. The cat seemed to stare at Shinjiro for a moment before letting out a satisfied purr, leaping down to land lightly on his shoulder.

Shocked, the man let the cat do so, perplexed by its behavior. "… Hello?" The cat looked at him as he spoke, and let out a louder purr before clambering over Shinjiro's shoulders to reach the baby carrier. "H – hey! Don't hurt her!" getting ready to pick up the cat and move it, a soft chuckle made him stop.

"Don't worry, Shinjiro-san, Gouto-san won't harm your daughter." Looking up, Shinjiro stared as a new man approached, chuckling. "He's just going to say hello."

Shinjiro wasn't certain that the man in front of him was fully human.

He looked about seventy or eighty, his grey hair showing faint hints of blue-black that refused to fade away, and he was wearing a formal black suit with a crescent moon pin on his blue tie. A vertical scar ran across one side of his face, and the katana strapped to his waist showed several decades worth of use. Sharp, black eyes seemed to take in the entire hall at once, but didn't seem hostile at all.

However, his style of dress was from the Taisho Era.

Even though he knew it probably wasn't a fair judgment, Shinjiro couldn't help but feel like the elderly man in front of him was an American mobster, and he shifted. "… So you're 'Ojii-sama'? Naoto and Hamuko both mentioned you to me once in a while."

"That would be me." The man chuckled, stopping right in front of Shinjiro and taking the suitcase out of his one hand. "Well, _technically_, I am their great-grandfather, but Ojii-sama makes it much simpler on everyone … even if I do wish they would leave off the 'sama'." Shaking his head at the thought, the elderly man ignored Shinjiro's jaw hitting the floor. "Sorry, I forgot to give you my name. I'm Shirogane Jouhei." Proffering his free hand with a soft chuckle, the man waited patiently for Shinjiro to pick his jaw up off of the floor.

"… Aragaki Shinjiro." Shaking the offered hand, Shinjiro looked around, and saw that the cat was nuzzling the sleeping infant. "Uhh … Cat, you're going to wake her up …" The cat paused at that, and turned right around to face him, green eyes holding a spark of amusement.

"That's what I intend, Aragaki-san. It's hard to greet someone when they're asleep, now isn't it?"

Shinjiro's brain took several seconds to register that the cat had spoken to him. It was only by sheer will that he kept himself from dropping the carrier in shock from the fact. "W – what the hell…?" Jouhei's accompanying chuckle made Shinjiro look at him. "Either I'm a shitload more tired than I thought, or did I just hear that cat talk?"

"I can talk just as well as you can, Aragaki-san. It's just that only those with strong spiritual powers can hear me." Nodding as he laid down in the baby carrier next to the infant, the cat's tail curled around her. "I am known as Gouto, Aragaki-san. I am a mentor to all the Raidou Kuzunohas, and a guardian of the family." Looking at the infant again, Gouto nuzzled her again. "Your daughter, what is her name?"

"… Aiko." Shinjiro relaxed a bit. "Aragaki Aiko. She's only a few months old though, she was born on New Year's Eve last year."

"I see." Nodding, Gouto looked at the sleeping girl before putting his cold nose on her forehead, just beneath the start of auburn hair. The cold, wet sensation made the infant's face scrunch up as she woke up, but instead of wailing like her father was worried she would, her eyes opened a bit with a small sniffle.

Gouto seemed satisfied, tail twitching as Aiko's pale grey eyes, very similar to her father's, slowly focused on the cat, perplexed. Instead of freaking out and crying at the sight of a black, fuzzy face, she reached out and patted the cat on the head. Gouto didn't seem to mind the roughness, even moving closer to the infant to let her get a better grip on him. "… She has a good deal of strength to her." The cat actually seemed to wince as Aiko's small hands wrapped into thick fur.

"Yeah … that's my fault." Rubbing the back of his head in nerves, Shinji looked around again. "I'm sorry to be imposing like this. Hell, I know Aiko'd be welcome here, but I wasn't expecting to be let in myself, what with Hamuko and I not being married …"

"I won't lie, it took me quite a while for me to convince them that it would be insulting to Hamuko, not to mention that it wouldn't be fair to Aiko to deprive her of her only parent." Jouhei's face darkened at that. "I might be Raidou Kuzunoha the XIV, but the elders can be stubborn enough to make a boulder seem agreeable. To be honest, Naoto had to come in and get one particular civilian elder off of his high horse, something she really shouldn't be doing when she's taking care of some business in Tokyo …"

Shinjiro winced "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Jouhei shook his head again. "It wasn't your fault that such things have happened, or that the civilians can be the most irrational people at times."

"…Civilian?" Shinjiro looked at Jouhei in confusion.

"Not all of those who fall under the Kuzunoha clan can summon demons." Gouto spoke up, curled protectively around Aiko. "We might have reached an accord with the Queen Mother of Makai, but she does feel a bit irate if most of her children are in danger." Giving Shinjiro a cat smile, the black cat's tail twitched in amusement. "If Naoto and her husband hadn't managed to talk some sense into the civilians, it would have possibly resorted to calling on her judgment to settle the situation."

"That … sounds like it would have been bad." Not wanting to really picture what they meant by 'Queen Mother' of a place like Makai, Shinjiro looked back at Gouto, who was sniffing at Aiko with a strange intensity. "Does she need to be changed?"

"No no, it's not that." Jouhei shook his head with a chortle. "Gouto-san does that when he senses a strong amount of spiritual power in someone, or a potential for it. He's trying to see if it's what you and Hamuko have, of if it's a talent for demon summoning. Naoto's the first one to be equally adept at both, even if it did take her several years of practice to get it down pat."

"… And if she does have the knack for Demon Summoning?" Shinjiro's voice was tight with worry.

"Relax." Putting a hand on Shinjiro's shoulder, Jouhei gave him a reassuring smile. "Even if she does turn out to have the potential to become a demon summoner, we wouldn't keep her away from you."

Shinjiro felt a wave of relief rush through him at that. "… Thank you …"

Jouhei smiled, but tensed a second later. "Aragaki, don't move." Not giving the younger man a chance to respond, the retired summoner had drawn the katana at his waist and slashed at something behind Shinjiro. A muffled noise of death followed as a human dressed in black with a dagger in his hand crumpled to the floor, bleeding to death. "Assassin. He must have been very skilled to evade the crows." Scowling, Jouhei wiped his sword clean despite Shinjiro's wide eyes.

"You … you didn't even seem shocked …" Trying to gather his wits again, Shinjiro shook his head. "Should we be moving?"

"Yes." Nodding at Gouto, Jouhei cleared his throat. "Gouto-san, take Shinjiro and Aiko to the room we had set up for them. I'll see if there's any more outside." Gouto nodded and bounded out of the baby carrier before trotting off, Shinjiro following him, bewildered. Jouhei darted outside a second later, an abnormally large crow with orange flames on its wings following him.

Perplexed, Shinjiro followed Gouto through a winding part of the complex, including through a blue wall that felt like it should have been solid. When they passed through a similar red and goldenrod wall, Shinjiro found himself even more perplexed. "What the hell were those just now?"

"A wall made up of what we can only assume is raw magatite." Gouto explained without turning. "A strange man in an alternate dimension gave Jouhei the notes on how to create such walls when he was in his teens, and we've used them to secure off this particular part of the mansion. Now, only one of the Four Great Summoners or myself can bypass it without the key, along with those who live in this part."

Stopping outside of a sliding door decorated with the four guardian beasts, Gouto reared up on his hind paws and yowled. The sound made Shinjiro shiver, but Aiko slept through it. As the sound echoed for a few seconds, it was replied by a deep growl as a large, grey wolf with flaming eyes approached the door, standing nearly as tall as Shinjiro.

The gigantic wolf examined the man for a moment, as if memorizing his appearance, before giving a single wag of its tail and sitting in front of the sliding door. Gouto gave a satisfied mrt before looking at Shinjiro. "This is a Fenrir demon; she has taken the appearance of the legendary wolf to inherit its strength, and will serve as a last resort in case someone _does _manage to break through all three walls without dealing with the … repercussions …"

"… I can clearly imagine what you mean by that." Shuddering, Shinjiro looked at the Fenrir as her tail wagged. "She won't hurt Aiko when she's big enough to crawl and move around, will she?"

"She is under contract with Naoto." Gouto's tail twitched in amusement. "Harming a child would earn her a fate she doesn't want to discover." The Fenrir seemed to whuff in agreement.

Nodding, Shinjiro sighed and opened the sliding door; the large room inside had a divider decorated in gold with Huang Long cutting it in two. The smaller half held a good sized cradle for Aiko, decorated with the seven lucky gods and light blue blankets tucked in around it. A small dresser full of baby clothes was nearby, and a nearby door led to a good sized bathroom. The rest of the room was set aside for Shinjiro, a dresser for clothes against one wall with a bed close enough to the divider for him to reach Aiko quickly in case of an emergency. A desk was nearby as well, and the lights were dimmed and red-tinted as well, the switch located next to the bed.

"… Thanks …" Sitting on the bed, Shinjiro rested his feet for a few moments, setting Aiko's carrier next to him as Gouto entered the room, the sliding door snapping shut behind him. "I was half expecting to have to stay at Mitsuru's place, and the security there isn't quite as crazy as it is here …" looking at the door, Shinjiro chuckled. "It certainly didn't involve gigantic wolves as door guards."

Gouto let out a soft 'mrt' that seemed to serve as his laugh. "Well, this is an ancient family with … odd … connections. Such things are to be expected."

"Including assassins?" Shinjiro pulled Aiko out of her carrier and into his arms as he spoke, not wanting to let the sleeping girl out of his arms. Gouto seemed to sigh. "… It's part of the family deal, I take it?" Gouto gave a nod at Shinjiro's question, making him sigh. "I see … I really do appreciate the hospitality, but … I'm not going to let Aiko grow to adulthood in this sort of environment. As soon as I manage to buy a house and get a good enough job to support us, we'll be moving out."

"We're fully prepared for that, don't worry." Jouhei had arrived, carrying the suitcase. Setting it down, he nodded and continued talking. "There was one other assassin; like I feared, it was from one of the lesser demon summoners in the family." Pulling out the desk chair and sitting in it, he nodded at Aiko. "Unless you were able to determine something, Gouto-san, she's still a potential heir to the Raidou title."

"All I can detect with her so young is that she has a great affinity for change." Tail coiling around his feet as he sat up straight, Gouto's green eyes shone bright in the dimly lit room. "Transition, a flowing river, one with a great deal of power behind it … we will have to make certain nobody tries anything while she is here."

Shinjiro just shook his head. "No wonder Hamuko just wanted to open up a coffee shop somewhere." Standing up and parting the divider, he carried Aiko to the cradle and put her to bed. "This life sounds like it would be miserable on anyone."

"It's most likely why Minato refused the position of Raidou in favor of becoming a teacher." Jouhei nodded, standing up again. "I will take care of the problem immediately, Shinjiro. No matter what political struggle goes on in this family, infanticide is something that should not be tolerated." The old man's eyes darkened, making a shiver run through Shinjiro's spine.

"I will remain here for the night as well." Nodding, Gouto bounded over to the cradle and draped himself over the headboard. "Get some rest, Aragaki-san. You have made a long trip to get here."

Shinjiro, ready to protest, realized that the cat was right; he was exhausted. "Alright … again, thanks …" Sitting down in bed, he peeled off the coat he was wearing, not feeling up to changing.

"Naoto and Kanji will be here for breakfast, so you can talk with them then." Giving Shinjiro a soft smile, Jouhei began walking towards the door. "Sleep well, Shinjiro-san. Nothing will befall you here."

Unable to say anything before the sliding door closed behind Jouhei's back, Shinjiro just shook his head, kicking off his boots before crawling under the blankets. Giving one last gaze towards Aiko's cradle as he turned off the lights, he smiled as he fell asleep. "It's okay Aiko … everything's going to be okay now … And I'll always be there for you."

* * *

_And here's the re-uping of "Guiding Light." I pulled it down due to too many plotholes forming, but that won't be an issue with this from now on. I'll also try to keep up a more regular update schedule, so every other Monday bar Mondays I work, in which case I'll update the next evening I have free._

_From here, this is just setting up the story; this is one of the few stories where Hamuko is Minato and Naoto's sister, who I have as members of the Raidou Kuzunoha family. Minor setup here, and more things will be revealed in next chapter. _

_Enjoy, and happy New Year!_


	2. Cornerstone of Memories

_(Seventeen years Later, Samegawa River)_

April always had some of the largest cherry blossoms.

The sun was approaching high noon, piercing through the light fog that hung around the Samegawa riverbed in the spring. The pathway had been paved recently, and a small family of feral cats was busy fishing out minnows for their breakfast. A children's playground sat empty for the moment, most of the children in the still small city getting ready for the first day of school the next day. The pavilion nearby was equally empty, a fresh coat of paint oddly bright against the deep greens and tans of the surrounding area.

Up on the pavilion's roof, however, was a teenage girl. She was lying down and enjoying the sunlight, a rather antiquated portable radio next to her, a pair of equally antiquated wired headphones plugged into it. Long, auburn hair fanned out from where she held her head in her hands, the bangs framing a content face. The girl was wearing a long, dark violet and black longcoat with the kanji for love on each shoulder over a blue and white tank top, a yellow four-pointed star on the chest, and a pair of plain blue jeans. Lace up boots covered the girl's feet, which crossed at the ankles as a crow let out a caw, landing on the unusual perch.

Cawing again, the crow hopped onto the girl's leg. A pale grey opened and peered down at the bird, chuckling. "Hehe, you're here for your food, aint'cha?" Sitting up a bit, the girl grabbed a small satchel that rested next to her, pulling out a small dumpling. "I'm surprised you took this long to find me, Sumizome. You're normally faster than that." Chuckling as the crow just cawed again, she pulled off a small piece of the dumpling, offering it to bird. "Here. It's cold, but that probably doesn't bug ya in the least."

Watching the crow, Sumizome, the girl let out a soft smile. "So how's that wing doin'? I'm just glad I could fix it when I could; those jackasses got a broken arm when I finally managed to get my hands on 'em." Taking a bite out of the dumpling herself, she offered another small piece to Sumizome as the crow polished off what it had already been given. "Well, you must've been flying to look for me, so I guess it's getting better."

"Aiko!" A teenage boy's voice called from the ground, making the girl turn to look as Sumizome let out an annoyed caw. "Aiko, will you get down from there? Dad wants us to take some things to the Amagi Inn when we go grab the twins!"

"Shit, that's Conan …!" Sighing, the girl – Aiko – set the rest of the dumpling onto the roof. "Here ya go, Sumizome. I gotta scram." Grabbing her bag again, she scowled as she crawled over to the edge of the roof. "Pipe down Conan, I'm comin'! Hold your horses!" Grabbing her radio and headphones, Aiko shoved them into the bag before jumping over the edge, landing on her feet with ease.

"Aiko, you know you're not supposed to be up there." The boy who had called for her was nearby, sitting on a bicycle and shaking his head in exasperation. Like Aiko, he was dressed against the April weather, wearing a navy hoodie and blue jeans with his teal shirt. Tennis shoes covered his feet, and an oddly striped tie of blue, green and white hung around his neck, and grey-blue eyes set behind blue glasses and flyaway golden-brown bangs, watched Aiko as she grabbed her bicycle from where she had let it fall to the ground. "Seriously, Officer Dojima has needed to get you down there several times now; you might fall through the roof one of these days."

"I know, Conan, I know." Aiko shook her head as she walked her bike over, satchel swung over her shoulder. "I … just needed to dry off." Conan's mouth fell open in shock.

"Did you try to feed someone to the Guardian _again_?" He demanded, looking towards the Samegawa River itself. "Good grief, Aiko, its large enough! You don't need to feed people to it!"

"Only because one of 'em came at me with the bench when I got into a fight with them." Aiko shrugged as she kicked off her bike, the two of them heading for the shopping district. "I caught 'em drawing cocks and tits on the slide again, and told 'em to clean it up. They didn't listen until I had to feed a few of them to the Guardian."

"_Aiko …_"

"I didn't _literally_ feed them to it, Conan! Just threw them in the water and held 'em under for a few seconds!" Shaking her head, Aiko gave Conan a deadpan look. "You really think I would do that?"

"Yes." Conan's voice was full of sarcasm.

"Hey!" Huffing, Aiko shook her head and focused on the road in front of her. "Can't believe my own cousin would think of me like that."

"I'm wracked with guilt." The sarcasm still hadn't left Conan's voice.

"Shaddap." Shaking her head again, Aiko fell quiet for the rest of the bike ride, looking around the historic shopping district. There were a surprising number of people out and about the street, especially for it being early April. Moms were running errands, some kids were playing in the street – more than likely booted off of the computers or gaming systems for the day – and a small number of people were trekking up the stairs to the Tatsuhime Shrine. Cars drove slowly down the center of the road, other bicyclists zipping by and dodging other people. The Chinese Diner Aiya had its doors open for the afternoon rush, teasing smells wafting out over the air.

Passing by everybody else, Aiko and Conan zipped behind the Tatsumi Textile Shop, parking their bikes at a small rack before heading inside. "Dad, I managed to nab Aiko." Conan called out as they entered, sitting down to take off his shoes. Aiko stood there and pulled her boots off, setting her satchel down on the counter. "She was on top of the pavilion again."

"Had to give someone swimming lessons, eh, Aiko?" A deep laugh came from the main part of the room as the teenagers entered, having come from the tall man in the back part of the store. Tatsumi Kanji towered over his son and niece, dark hair spiked back to show a smiling face in spite of the scar next to his left eyebrow. Smirking a bit as he hefted a stack of textiles into a thin box, Kanji gave Aiko a nod. "What for this time? They hurt your birdie again?"

"Sumizome isn't my bird, Uncle." Shaking her head a bit as she swiped a cookie off of the cooling tray on the counter, Aiko watched for a moment as he bundled up more of the textiles. "They were 'decorating' the slide again, and one of 'em came at me with a pavilion bench."

"Ya hit them with your own bench or your bike?" Kanji was laughing again, Conan just rolling his eyes as he darted upstairs to get his bag.

"Bench; didn't want to wreck my bike." Shrugging and taking a bite of the cookie, Aiko grinned. "Gave him an uppercut to the chin with it; he dropped like a rock."

Kanji just laughed harder, shaking his head. "Damn Aiko! If your dad or Aunt Nao find out about that, we're both gonna be in trouble." Aiko grinned at her uncle's amusement. Blowing her bangs out of her face, Aiko looked over to the storefront; Kanij's elderly mother was helping some people with their orders. It wasn't as busy as it got to be around Obon and New Years Eve, where people would come by to get fabric for yukatas and kimonos, but it was still a thriving little store.

"Oh yeah, speaking about Nao, she's gonna be coming home later tonight." Kanji continued, making Aiko's attention snap back to him. "She called earlier today; things in Tokyo are settled for the moment, and your uncle's gonna be coming home from Osaka; he's been transferred to Yasogami High."

Aiko couldn't stop the groan from leaving her mouth. "Great, ANOTHER relative." Leaping up a bit to sit on the counter, she dropped her head onto her open hands, watching Kanji as he sat down at the table. "Guess Dad'll be working overtime then …"

Kanji had to grimace at that; Aiko's father didn't get along with most of Naoto's family, for understandable reasons. "Yeah, Nao told him and said he was welcome to stop over if he wanted to for dinner, but I'm not expecting any miracles." Grabbing a cookie himself, the large man sighed. "Big brothers and boyfriends _really _don't get along well."

"Speaking from experience, Dad?" Conan had come back downstairs, a small backpack slung over one shoulder. Kanji just chuckled, nodding. "It'll be good to have Mom home again though; even though I know she's good at her job, I can't help but worry sometimes." Sitting down with a small sigh, Conan looked at the boxes on the table. "What all are those anyway, Dad?"

"Eh, just some rugs and curtains that Yukiko-senpai wanted me to fix for her; they've got a big group comin' in next week for inspections, and she wants the place to look as good as it did the day it first opened." Rolling his eyes a bit, Kanji chuckled. "You two'll probably get roped into helping them out a bit before you can nab the twins and have that picnic you five have been planning."

"Ah well, it'll be good to help them get some things in order." Shrugging again, Aiko hopped down and grabbed the boxes. "Let's get going, Conan. Don't want to miss the bus, do we?" Nodding, Conan stood up and darted for the door, slipping into his shoes. Aiko followed him after a second. "Seeya later, Uncle Kanji!"

Kanji chuckled and waved, knowing that the door would shut before he could call out a goodbye after them. "Heh, those two are always on the move."

Outside, Aiko and Conan dashed for the bus stop, dodging around other people as the sounds of the Shrine's bell rang overhead. Someone had made an offering, it seemed, and the sound would echo around the shopping district for a few moments. It was a side effect of living in a small place; sound carried very far, whether people wanted it to or not.

Managing to get on the bus right before it was filled and leaving, Aiko and Conan stood on the back platform, watching the rest of the town go by as the bus sped towards the mountains. "Hard to believe this town hasn't gotten any bigger since Mom and Dad were our age …" Conan mused, leaning against the pole he was holding onto for balance. "Yeah, the buildings have upgraded and more technology has been added, but this place is still so tiny."

"Heh, I like it like that." Aiko let a soft smile cross her face. "I wouldn't like living in a huge city; even with the environmental laws in place now, there's still so little air in those places, and no place to run around." Glancing at the forest covering the nearby mountains, Aiko relaxed a bit. "Besides, we wouldn't be able to get anywhere we wanted as fast as we do here. Those test-stage mass transport thingys in America and China are still having issues with breaking down mid-transport. Nǎinai told me about another accident involving that just yesterday."

"Please spare me the details." Groaning a bit, Conan shook his head. "You think the twins will like the food we're bringing? I know they always like your cooking, but I don't think you've subjected them to seafood yet."

"_Subjected?" _Aiko gave Conan a look, a corner of her mouth twitching. "You're making it sound like I'm using the twins for food lab rats."

"You use Jiri for that." Conan shrugged in reply.

"Hey!" Scoffing, Aiko watched a flock of swallows flying overhead. "I do _not_. It's not my fault that the boy eats anything before I can tell him what's in his food." At this she paused. "… It makes me wonder if I should feed him some of that chili chocolate your parent's friend gave me …" Conan let out a chuckle at that himself.

"He'd wolf it down, especially since I think he just had a meet yesterday or earlier today." Pushing his glasses back up his nose, the blond smiled. "Well, we'll all be back in school tomorrow. Let's enjoy it while we can."

"Yeah." Nodding, Aiko leaned against the bus as well, lapsing into silence.

* * *

_(Train Station, Evening)  
_Arisato Minato let out a deep sigh, glad that the train had finally reached Inaba station. It had been a long train ride from Osaka to Inaba, and he was just ready to sit down and have a dinner. His navy blue hair was starting to streak through with white, pale grey-blue eyes peering out from beneath his bangs as he looked around the train car. He was dressed in a dark blue coat over his grey slacks and white shirt, a briefcase sitting next to him on the seat. "Ugh, I can't wait to sit down with some tea."

"I told you to get something when we stopped in Iwatodai, Onii-sama." A woman's voice chuckled nearby, making Minato sit up and look at his youngest sister as she took the seat across from him. "Kanji will probably have dinner ready for us when we get there; just hold on a little bit longer, alright?"

"Sorry, Naoto." Smiling, Minato looked at his sister. She looked almost identical to him, just far shorter, her deep blue hair cut to the middle of her neck. Her eyes were also bluer than his, and the suit she wore was a black police uniform with the silver moon and three lines that was the crest of the Raidou. A blue police hat with the same crest was in her hand, and she had a wry smile on her face as Minato chuckled. "It's just a surprise; I haven't been home in so long … it's too bad Ojii-sama had some business to take care of himself and couldn't join us."

"Ojii-sama really needs to relax a bit more than he does." Naoto nodded her agreement. "He's starting to slow down far more than he used to; I don't want him to wear himself down faster than he already is." Shaking her head as she looked out the window, she smiled. "Well, there's the station … I always feel so relieved to come back home in one piece, no matter how many times I do this." Standing up as she spoke, Naoto pulled the suitcase that rested in the baggage compartment, Minato doing the same on his side. "You have plans to get an apartment soon, right? Kanji and I can host you for now, but …"

"Don't worry Naoto, don't worry." Chuckling, Minato hefted his suitcase as the train came to a complete stop, an overhead telecast from the conductor asking passengers to be patient and calm while disembarking from the train car. "Will Conan be home tonight? I wanted to say hello to him before I started teaching tomorrow."

"No. He and Aiko have been planning a picnic with their friends for a few weeks now, and it would be rude to everyone else if they had to cancel so abruptly." Shaking her head, Naoto smiled. "You'll see them tomorrow in class though." Stepping off of the train beside her brother, Naoto let out a small noise and snapped her fingers. "That reminds me; Shinjiro-san will possibly be joining us for dinner as well. If he does, please don't act like he's not supposed to be there …"

Minato let out a sigh at that. "Ojii-sama told me about that already. It … will be a bit weird meeting him again after so many years, and with my first encounter with him had him in a mental breakdown." Naoto nodded, the two siblings walking down the street. Rubbing the back of his neck, Minato couldn't help but ask a question that was nibbling on the back of his thoughts. "Do you and Kanji ever interact much with him? I know you two watched Aiko a lot …"

Naoto let out a small laugh at that. "There were times when people on the street thought we were all homosexuals with one another." Seeing Minato's jaw hit the floor, the woman chuckled more. "Shinjiro-san looked after Conan as much as we looked after Aiko, so it was difficult to tell at times if we lived in separate houses or not."

"I … see …" Minato hadn't expected that at all. "I guess I was in America and Osaka for too long then; I fell out of the family loop. Heck, I still have some issues wrapping my head around Aiko's existence … especially since I haven't met her in person." Sighing at how bad saying such made him feel, Minato fell silent as they approached the small textile shop.

He couldn't really admit that he was debating over the full authenticity of Aiko's heritage; he had a feeling Naoto wouldn't take it well at all. But to Minato, it just seemed a tad _too _convenient. Why had one of Hamuko's friends had some of her genetic material, and what had made Hamuko give it up in the first place? If it had been her idea, why not mention it to her family at all?

"I'm home, Kanji." Naoto's comment made Minato snap out of his thoughts. "Oh, Shinjiro-san, you did decide to join us."

"Tch, I've been cooking all day. I need a break." The new voice was deep and rough, making Minato stop for a second as he was taking off his shoes. The voice was very familiar, and made him freeze for a moment before looking up.

He knew who Kanji was from attending Naoto's wedding and various pictures he had seen since then, but seeing Shinjiro for the first time in nearly twenty-five years was a bit jarring. The last time he had seen the younger male, he'd been ill and in very poor condition. Now, he was taller than Minato was, but still shorter than Kanji. Dusk brown hair that was starting to grey was cut short across the back of his neck, bangs framing a pair of pale grey – or were they white? Minato couldn't tell anymore – eyes. He was dressed in a pair of slacks and a short sleeved shirt, and was leaning in the chair like his feet were sore while Kanji was busy cooking dinner.

Seemingly realizing that he was being stared at, the other male looked at Minato. "… Huh. Well, I guess being a trap wasn't something you were able to grow out of."

Naoto and Kanji's laughter made Minato blush a bit, not knowing if he'd been insulted or not. Shaking his head, he nodded at the brunet. "It's nice to see you again too, Aragaki-san."

"Tch, I told you before to call me Shinjiro." Shrugging, Shinjiro nodded back, tone losing a touch of its roughness. "I remember you, ya know; just because my mind was shitty back then doesn't mean I don't remember people." Shaking his head, the brunet male took a sip of the drink he had next to him. Minato took the seat close to him, grateful that Kanji had gotten some tea ready beforehand.

"True, true, but you were rarely there as it was; Hong-san was keeping you from fighting so you wouldn't endanger yourself or anyone." Sighing, Minato shook his head. "It still hurts to think she's really gone …" Shinjiro let out a soft sigh in what could only be agreement, and the two men fell quiet for a brief moment. "So, Shinjiro-san … I was wondering …" Nervous, as he didn't know how the younger male would react, Minato shifted for a moment.

"You want to know about Aiko, eh?" Shinjiro's responding question knocked Minato off guard, but he nodded. "What would you like to know first?"

"**I** would like to know why she was throwing people into the Samegawa earlier today, personally." Naoto's voice cut in as she returned from changing, now wearing a loose oxford shirt and jeans, her hat gone as well. Minato and Shinjiro both looked up at her in shock, making the blue-haired woman shrug. "I received a text from Dojima-san that a group of intoxicated workers came into the station about one in the afternoon today. When a bunch of runkards come stumbling into the police office dripping wet with fish bites, they've pretty much come to expect it's because she threw them in there."

At that moment, Minato felt any hope he had for his niece being like his sister wilt a bit inside.

"From what she said earlier, Nao, she caught them using the playground as a canvas for dicks." Kanji wandered over with food as he spoke, setting it down on the table. "And they wouldn't listen to her when she told them to knock it off."

"And I bet the garbage cans were either empty or had cats in them." Shinjiro shrugged. "'Some assholes needing a lesson aren't worth hurting a cat,' she said once." Seeing Minato's look, he chuckled a bit. "Aiko has a bit of a vigilante streak to her, sad to say."

"No you're not, and neither is Kanji." Naoto countered, shooting her husband a look as he just laughed and brought over the rest of the food. "Mia-san isn't joining us, Kanji?" Looking around for her mother-in-law, Naoto noted that the sign was turned to closed.

"She went out to dinner with some of her friends. 'Give you young ones a chance to talk amongst yourselves without an old woman listening in.'" Laughing in amusement at what was clearly his mother being herself, Kanji took a sip of his own tea while everyone helped themselves to food. "She'll be back in a couple of hours though, and Conan sent a message saying he and Aiko will be back home in an hour at the latest; Yukiko-senpai let the twins go as soon as Aiko handed over the fabrics and turned hawk on some of the lazier staff members."

"And Narukami-senpai's probably working like crazy to get the kitchen in shape." Naoto chuckled at that, amused.

"I said I'd help them out if they needed it. Haven't gotten a notice yet though." Shinjiro didn't seem too bothered by that, and glanced at Minato again as he started plowing through his food. "Slow down, will ya? It's not going anywhere."

Embarrassed at being caught, Minato slowed down a bit, shaking his head. "Well, I bet Aiko-san's gotten table manners beaten into her head." Chuckling a bit, he nodded. "That's good though; I've wanted to meet her and Conan for a while now. It was hard to get vacation time in Osaka, and I couldn't just pop over here from America for the summer while I was teaching there."

"Yeah, I can understand why. Your extended family isn't exactly hospitable either." Shinjiro's voice dropped to a bit of a growl, one that made Minato shiver a bit.

"That's the bad thing about the family being so old and large. A lot of inheritance squabbles …" Sighing, Minato shook his head. "I'm glad Hamuko and I got out of there when we could. I don't know how you manage to put up with them all the time, Naoto." Naoto gave a soft chuckle and shook her head in response.

"Being in the inheritance line for the Raidou title is what makes it so severe." Sighing, Naoto looked out the window. "I'm just glad it's stopped now."

"Heh, and now the kids just gotta get through high school." Nodding at Minato, Shinjiro arched an eyebrow. "Guess you'll have to keep tabs on 'em while they're in class. Hope they and Hanamura don't drive you up the wall."

"… The way you said that worries me …" Sighing and taking a sip of tea, Minato looked up as the back door opened up again.

"We're home!" Conan called out, entering the room. The blond was carrying a bag full of dumplings, munching on one. "Sorry we're back so early, but the twins were tired and Jiri had to look after Rin for a bit tonight." Putting the bag down and finishing the dumpling he was eating, Conan looked over his shoulder. "… And I think Aiko's still throwing that group of thugs into the dumpster behind the old metalworks."

"Did she make sure there wasn't anything sharp in there?" Naoto had slapped her face again. "Or rather, what did they do this time to deserve a fight?"

"They challenged her to a fight. With baseball bats." Conan sighed, the door opening a second later. "Oh, there she is." Minato, curious to see his niece, looked towards the door.

His jaw dropped when he saw her carrying a length of lead pipe over her shoulder, a rather stained shirt in one hand to expose bandages keeping her chest bound.

"The assholes got some rotten food on my shirt and tore it a bit. Managed to get it somewhat clean, but it still reeks and needs to be fixed …" Sighing, Aiko stepped out of her lace-up boots and put the shirt in an empty plastic bag. "I'll wash it first thou- oh …" Looking up, Aiko noticed Minato for the first time. "… Hi?"

Shinjiro was rubbing his forehead; why oh why did Aiko have to inherit his bad habit of getting into fights like this? "How many got sent to the hospital this time?"

"None. Made sure not to hit them _too_ hard." Leaving the pipe with the bag, she stepped into the kitchen. Looking at Minato, she glanced at Naoto and Kanji, clearly wondering if she'd be sent upstairs to get a shirt on or if she should just sit down. When Naoto just nodded at the empty chairs for the teenagers to sit at, the tall girl shrugged and sat down, buttoning up her coat as she did so. "So, you're Uncle Minato, eh?"

Shaking his head a bit to get rid of the last of the shock he had from the introduction, Minato looked at Aiko; she had her mother's auburn hair and general face shape, but apart from that, she was clearly her father's daughter. "Yes, I would be. I didn't think I'd end up seeing you and Conan until class tomorrow." Chuckling a bit, he shook his head again.

"You'll be teaching at Yasogami, Uncle?" Conan arched an eyebrow. "I'll make sure Aiko's in Dere-mode before we get there; don't want to give you too rough of a day."

"HEY." Aiko's eyebrow twitched, getting a laugh from the adults. "Speaking of which, my uniform came in today, Dad. The skirt's long, and the top does fit right."

"Good." Sighing, Shinjiro stood up. "Dinner was nice, but we should be heading home now; I'm beat." Placing the dishes he'd been using in the sink, he nodded at Aiko and Conan as his daughter stood up. "Besides, gotta make these two and their tall friend lunch tomorrow."

"Dad, I said I'd help." Aiko chuckled. "I just need to get a shirt on first." Smiling, she ruffled Conan's hair and nodded at the other adults. "Nice to meet you, Uncle Minato. See you later, Aunt Nao, Uncle Kanji!" pulling her boots on and tying the laces, she darted out the door, grabbing her bag and the pipe as she went.

Shinjiro shook his head and nodded to the adults, leaving quietly. Naoto chuckled. "Well, they're okay with you, Onii-sama. That concern is out of the way."

Minato gave a small smile. "I've met Shinjiro before, Naoto. His older brother was my comrade back in the day, you know." Naoto nodded her head at that, but Minato let out a groan. "Now I'm just praying she doesn't bring that pipe to school too." Kanji's response was a small shrug.

"Eh, if all else fails, look for Labrys; Aiko doesn't mess around with her."

* * *

Aiko smiled, walking alongside her father down the street as they headed for their home. It was close to the Samegawa Flood plain and on a small hill, but still close enough to the shopping district for Shinjiro to walk to work. Aiko knew how to get across shortcuts to reach her school on time, and it was nice to have something of a backyard. Smiling at the sight of the two-story house, calmly tucked away under a peach tree, Aiko jogged a bit to reach the door and unlock it. "I did get the fridge cleaned out earlier today, Dad."

"Good; the milk was starting to turn into yogurt." Chuckling a bit, Shinjiro looked at the tree. "It looks like we'll be getting some good sized peaches this year, if the trees in the back are getting fruit as big as this one; that'll make Jiri happy."

"Yeah, that'll make him happy, alright." Laughing, Aiko headed inside, taking her boots and coat off, her waist length hair getting pulled back as she put on a pair of frog slippers. "But I managed to get a few of the blossoms pressed, and there's a small twig I managed to get to bloom through some advice from Amagi-san. I gave it to Mom." Nodding at the small nook in the wall where a large photograph sat, Aiko smiled to see that the blossoms and flowers around the frame were pale pink and white against the black frame.

"Heh, I'm sure she's happy with them, Aiko." Smiling, Shinjiro got his own slippers on before heading into the kitchen. "Go and get a shirt on, and we'll start cooking. I managed to get the stuff for botamochi." Chuckling as Aiko darted upstairs with a whoop, he walked over to the nook, smiling. "She's got your energy, Hamuko. You would love being around her and raising her."

The woman in the picture had Aiko's auburn hair, the copper strands framing a happy face with scarlet eyes. A smile was spread across her face, and she was wearing a bright gold yukata decorated with scarlet and orange butterflies. The picture had been taken at Hachigatsu Bon, and she was holding a small lantern that she was ready to launch in one hand. The other hand was wrapped around a younger Shinjiro's arm, and the young man had an embarrassed look on his face, but he clearly wasn't trying to pull away.

"… I miss you, Hamuko." Sighing, Shinjiro shook his head and smiled. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her. I hope you're looking down on her with that big smile of yours …" Chuckling, he walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a couple of aprons as Aiko bounded downstairs, a plain t-shirt on. "Okay, what shall we get started with? The chicken or the Sushi?"

"Start with the chicken; that'll take us longer." Aiko nodded. "The wasabi probably needs to thaw anyway." Smiling up at her father, Aiko got to work, and Shinjiro smiled as well.

Life was good.

* * *

_Botamochi: A_ _Japanese sweet made with sweet rice and sweet azuki (red bean) paste. They are made by soaking sweet rice for approximately six hours. The rice is then cooked, and a thick azuki paste is hand-packed around pre-formed balls of rice._

_Hachigatsu Bon: The summer festival celebrated in August in p3p. One of the three different times to celebrate the festival of Obon (traditionally held on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar), it is usually celebrated on or around the fifteenth of august, typically on a weekend._

* * *

_Well, here's the first updated chapter. All I really have to say is that one of the major plotholes was how Shinji raised Aiko without her siblings figuring it out, so in this version, she was raised with them from the get-go. _

_Figured I'd post this a day early since I have work tomorrow night. woo~_


	3. School Days

_(April 13__th__, Early Morning)  
_Aiko moaned a bit, rubbing her eyes as she woke up. The skylight had been positioned to serve as an alarm clock for her, and the bright light hitting her eyelids had managed to wake her up. "I've got about a half hour before I need to head out to class …" Sighing, she looked around her room, sitting up. Her walls were a pale lavender color, the light overhead resembling a six-pointed star. Over the years, Aiko and Conan had painted small stars on the ceiling in glow-in-the-dark paint, so the light that reflected off of her walls went to power those. The sheets on her bed were dark, and an old wolf plush sat near her pillow.

A desk occupied the wall across from the bed, covered with school supplies, a laptop, and a few figurines her cousin had given her. The window it was in front of was open to let in the cool air, showing the mist-covered river. A bookshelf was near the desk as well, and the closet was close to her bed, the dresser tucked inside of it. It was a rather neat room, but only due to Aiko liking to be able to find her stuff when she needed it. Her school bag was slung over her door's knob, and her uniform was hung up on a coat hook mounted on the wood, the full-length mirror covered by it.

"… Might as well take a shower and get dressed." Getting up, she rubbed her eyes. "I wonder if Dad left for work already, or if I'll be able to sit down and have breakfast with him before going to class." Reaching for a towel, Aiko quietly left her room and walked down the hall a bit, only to sigh when she saw that her father – a heavier sleeper than her – wasn't in his room, the bedroom door open. "Guess he had to get called in early today …" Shaking her head, she went into the bathroom to shower.

Re-emerging ten minutes later and walking back to her room, Aiko glanced at the uniform while tying her hair up quickly. 'I'll have Conan braid it before class starts; that way I don't have wet hair all day.' Getting dressed, she found herself muttering. "What was up with that weird dream? Why was I on the moon, and what was that light thingy-talking to me? It sounded like a woman."

Shaking her head, she glanced at her drawers before pulling out a violet, button down shirt to wear under her uniform jacket. 'Thank you non-mandatory shirts until summer uniform; you have saved me from constant laundry day.' Pulling the shirt on quickly, Aiko glanced at the uniform for a moment as she grabbed socks to pull on her feet. "I tried you on yesterday, so I know you fit …" Grabbing the uniform, she pulled the skirt on and zipped it up, making sure her shirt wasn't tucked in.

Stopping to look herself over in the mirror as she grabbed the uniform jacket, Aiko couldn't help but smile faintly at herself. Her father had been serious about her staying in school, saying that he hadn't even gotten through it himself. He wasn't overbearing about it, but from the way he acted about his teenage years, Aiko figured he wasn't too happy about it.

'Heh, second year … here's hoping that things aren't going to be too miserable from here on out.' Nodding to herself at the sight of the golden II pin on the uniform's collar, she smiled and grabbed her school bag. "Guess it's time for breakfast. I still got a few minutes before I have to head out."

Downstairs was nice and clean, the den empty apart from the few cushions and the coffee table, the television mounted on the wall near the windows to prevent a glare. The back door was open to let the air in through the screen door, the smell of blossoms in the air as Aiko set her bag down and got some food, spotting the note from her father on the fridge.

_"Aiko, sorry I had to head off so early; Tatsuya called in sick at five this morning, and I'm the first person on the job roster to get called in. I should get home around five though, same as always, and I watered your mother's flowers before I left for work. I bought some Ramune for the three of you too; do NOT go breaking those bottles, you hear? And don't worry, I know how picky the boys can be about some of the sushi, so that's in a separate part of the bento. Have a good day at school, and don't give your teachers any headaches on the first day back. –Dad"_

Laughing at the last part of the note, Aiko sat down and smiled at the small nook where her mother's photo was kept. "Morning Mom; school starts today …" Relaxing a bit while she ate, pale grey eyes glanced up at the small note board that served as the weekly calendar. 'Okay, I do have cooking duty tonight; I wanted to try that beef stew recipe I found a day or so ago.' It wasn't really something she needed to worry about too much; her and her father alternated cooking duties between the two of them, with the weekends being take-out to give them both a break from cooking.

It got lonely at times, being the only child.

Shaking her head and stamping the thought into the dirt, Aiko finished eating and slung the school bag over her shoulder. Going into the fridge, she pulled out the group-sized bentou and the bag with ramune in it. 'I'll take care of the trees when I get home; they probably need to be watered.' The thought crossed her mind as she grabbed the peach flavored drink, knowing it was Jiri's favorite. Nodding when she had everything she needed, Aiko smiled at the picture one last time as she got her boots on. "See you later, Mom."

The outside of the house was calm and quiet, letting the girl take a breath to calm herself as she locked the front door. 'Dad always locks the screen, so that isn't an issue.' Chuckling a bit, Aiko lifted her head at the voices she heard coming from the direction of the shopping district.

"Aiko-nee! Aiko-nee! Hold up a second!" A girl a few years younger than Aiko ran up to her, wearing a blue middle school uniform. The plaid skirt and necktie were bright against the white stockings and pink undershirt the girl wore, her storm-grey hair tied up in a miko's sidelocks and ponytail, the ribbons in her hair as pink as her undershirt. Behind her was a boy of the same age, walking slower, his uniform the same shade of blue as hers. His hair was as black as his and the girl's eyes. He was on the lanky side, and had what was clearly a bow slung over his left shoulder.

Behind even him was Conan, wearing the boy's uniform for Yasogami over his typical blue undershirt, his striped tie still around his neck. Spotting Aiko, he waved a bit, prompting Aiko to wave back as the younger girl reached her.

"Hey Panda, what's up?" A smile crossed Aiko's face as the grey-haired girl gave a polite bow. "I thought you guys would have headed off to class already; the middle school starts earlier than Yasogami."

Shaking her head, the grey-haired girl giggled a bit. "We've got a few moments, Aiko-nee. Besides, Hoshi-nii and I wanted to thank you for helping us out as often as you do." Smiling, she looked over her shoulder as the dark-haired boy and Conan reached them. "We ran into Conan-san on our way here, and he said you'd most likely be at your house still."

"Good morning Aiko-nee." The dark-haired boy smiled as well, carrying something small in his hands. "Tsuki and I were hoping we'd run into you before it was too late." Tsuki giggled a bit as Hoshi extended the small package to Aiko. "H – here! Enjoy our thanks, Aiko-nee! You've been a big help the past few weeks!"

"… How long did it take your mother to teach you two how to do that?" Conan's eyebrow arched, a small amount of mirth in his voice. He took the small hit from Tsuki with a chuckle as Aiko took the package and opened it, revealing a good-sized manga volume. "… You guys got the dual pack of the final Innocent Sin volume and the first volume of Eternal Punishment? How did you manage that?"

Hoshi turned to respond, but the second his mouth was opened, the twins were pulled into a hug by Aiko.

"You two didn't have to get me this~" The tall girl was oddly tender, and neither Hoshi nor Tsuki were struggling to get away. "I would've been happy with a box of sweets."

"… B – but we wanted to …" Tsuki blushed a bit, voice getting quieter as she kept talking. "You're always so helpful, and Hoshi-nii said that you didn't have the last volume of Innocent sin yet…"

"And then we were looking in the manga café and saw that the first volume of Eternal Punishment was out." Hoshi continued. "It even has a fold-out poster in the box set; Medea-san must have been ahead of schedule to make that poster too."

Aiko's only response was to hug the twins more.

'… Well, she's in Dere-dere mode now …' Conan felt a trickle of sweat run down his neck. 'At least she won't be too big of a problem the rest of the day …' Coughing to clear his throat and get the other's attention, he nodded. "I hate to ruin the mood, but we probably get to school before the first bell sounds. Aiko and I still have to grab Jiri anyway." Nodding, the twins pulled away from Aiko, the group of four walking a bit. Aiko had pushed the two volumes of manga into her school bag, knowing she'd run into people if she read while she walked.

"So why you got your bow on you already, Tora?" She asked Hoshi, nodding at the wooden weapon the younger boy was carrying. "I didn't think you had a meet for a month or so."

Hoshi shifted the bow a bit, chuckling. "I still have practice, Aiko-nee. We're going to be working with Yasogami's archery team later on today, so I figured it'd be smart for me to grab my bow and not accidentally grab one of the school's." Gripping the bow a bit tighter, the raven-haired boy looked up. "Oh, your crow's following us again."

"Gah!" Looking up, Aiko spotted the familiar bird. "I forgot to feed her – she's not my bird, Tora!" Blushing anyway, the auburn didn't protest as the large crow landed on her shoulder. "You have to go to a tree when we get to school, you know that. Right, Sumizome? The school would freak if I walked in with a big bird on my shoulder."

Sumizome just cawed in indifference.

Further conversation was stopped at they neared a large house at the far end of town. As the group walked forward, the door burst open, a girl of about ten in an elementary school uniform and baseball cap darting past them with a peach in her mouth. "Smell ya later Jiri-nii!"

"RIN! That last peach was mine!" a split second later, a tall, well-built teenage boy burst out of the house. He stood taller than Aiko and Conan, his shaggy hair an odd autumn-brown that framed clever hazel eyes. He wore the same uniform as Conan, an orange and goldenrod sweatshirt on underneath the uniform jacket. A simple pendant shaped like the Comedy mask hung around his neck, and his backpack was equally bright. "You know those are my favorite you little twerp! I'm gonna let Jillian loose in your closet again!"

"Hello Jiri." Aiko and Conan deadpanned in unison, with Tsuki giggling behind them. They were used to this sort of thing. The orange-haired youth froze and then gave his friends a shaky smile.

"Oh, hi everyone." Smiling brightly, Jiri gave a flourish. "And even Sumizome graces us with her presence! Such a wonderful sign to a horrible day~!"

"It's just the first day of school, Jiri-kun." Hoshi felt a trickle of sweat run down the back of his neck. "It's not like it's a funeral …"

"That'll change when you get to high school." Jiri shrugged. "Seriously though, I'm surprised you guys are here too. Doesn't Sorario-Fu Middle School start a half hour earlier than Yasogami?"

"We wanted to say hi before heading off, and the road is right here." Hoshi nodded at the side street. "But we probably should go …" Nodding at Tsuki, the twins said their goodbyes before heading off down the road that lead to the west. Waving goodbye to the younger teens, Aiko, Conan and Jiri started walking towards their school, Aiko pulling out the first of the manga volumes and reading it.

"Ah, so our fearless leader decides to bury herself in her book." Jiri let out a dramatic sigh, draping his arm over Aiko's shoulders. Ignoring Sumizome's squawk as he upset the crow's spot and drove her to Aiko's head, the autumn-haired youth smiled. "Alas when we cannot entertain her so much as to get a smile out of – ow!" rubbing his head where Aiko tapped him with the book, he pouted, clearly just hamming it up for the fun of it. "What did I do to earn that?"

"Being so hyper so early in the day." Conan shook his head with a light smile. "Besides, it's the last volume of Innocent Sin. She's not going to pull away from that until we reach school or the first bell rings." Curious, he glanced at the bag she was holding. "The group bentou?"

"Yes. Don't touch or I'll ask Sumizome to guard it." Aiko didn't look up from her book as she spoke, but Conan knew his cousin would ask the crow to do so. 'Guard' usually meant a wing smack, and Conan didn't want to get bruised up. "… So what class do you think Uncle Minato's teaching?" Aiko's question made Jiri jolt.

"Your _uncle's _teaching here now?" Groaning in mock misery, Jiri sighed. "Great, now we have someone else supervising us all the time. Then again … after what happened last year …"

All three teens fell silent at that, not wanting to bring up the bad memories from that.

The silence lasted until they reached the school campus. Looking around, they were surprised to see several students milling about, some of them in small groups. Putting her book away, Aiko spotted some boys surrounding a girl – a transfer student, since Aiko didn't recognize her in passing like she did with everyone in Inaba – and stared at them. One of the boys noticed her and panicked, pulling several of the others out of the way. The girl – surprised – looked at Aiko in gratitude, her grey eyes oddly large in her face. After flashing the other girl a thankful smile, she darted off, not giving Aiko any time to question who she was.

"C'mon, let's find our rooms and get a good seat." Conan nodded at the door to the school. "If we get the seats in the back again, Jiri'll fall asleep and never wake up."

"Not my fault classes are boring …" Jiri muttered and shook his head at that.

"Ah, there's the three of ya." A woman with a Kansai accent spoke up from behind the three, making all of them jump. "I was wonderin when ya three would show up." Aiko turned around slowly, looking down a bit to stare into a pair of brilliant scarlet eyes. "You gonna behave for the first day of school there Aragaki? I don' wanna hafta pin ya to a wall again, mmkay?"

"Y … yeah, I know Labrys-sensei …" Aiko nodded and bowed a bit. The woman gave a wry smile; shorter than Aiko by about a head, Labrys's silver-blue hair was up in a high ponytail, bangs framing bright scarlet eyes. She was dressed in the Yasogami gym uniform with a teacher's ID, the jumpsuit hiding most of the mechanical parts that gave away her status as an android.

"That's good to hear." Smiling, Labrys gave Sumizome a sharp look. "And your birdie's gonna hafta sit in a tree somewhere. I know she ain't gonna make a mess in the building, but she's a darn big bird, and I don't think many of the new kids would find it very welcomin' if an upperclassmen was walkin' around with a crow on the shoulder."

Sumizome cawed once in annoyance, but seemed to listen to the android as she hopped off of Aiko's shoulder to a window sill. Waiting for Labrys to open the window for her, the crow preened and then cawed again, flying up to the roof. "There, she'll be waitin' for you when it's lunchtime."

"… You're looking for us because you're our homeroom teacher, aren't you, Labrys-sensei?" Jiri shifted a bit; it was odd for the P.E. teacher to come looking for students unless something major was going on. Labrys gave him a wry smile and shook her head.

"Nah, I get to terrorize th' seniors and keep 'em from gettin' too distracted in their last year." Giving them a grin that was all teeth, Labrys laughed. "But I think I managed to get everyone else to figure out it was smartest to keep the three of ya in the same class. Much less headaches thataway."

"Well, that's good at least." Conan gave a small smile, reappearing from where he had gone to check the class roster. "I've got our class; 2-C … and Uncle Minato's our homeroom teacher."

Jiri's shout of agony was heard outside the building.

Whapping her friend lightly, Aiko shook her head. "Drama King. He's not _that _bad …" Sighing, Aiko pulled out her watch. "But we should go and claim seats now, elsewise we're gonna be stuck in the back of the classroom again … I'd rather not be stuck there, because if he's anything like Aunt Nao …"

"Flying chalk." Conan groaned.

"That makes my head hurt just thinking about it. Let's go." Jiri laughed a bit at that. Giving Labrys a polite farewell, the trio headed up to the second floor, seeing more students milling about. A few of the classrooms were still closed, but for the most part, students remained in the halls, clearly not wanting to enter the classrooms just yet.

Finding the classroom for 2-C, Conan entered first. "Nobody's in here yet; probably all trying to avoid having to sit down until the first bell rings. Not even Uncle Minato's in here." Slipping into the room, he settled into a seat, with Aiko and Jiri following suit soon after. Aiko flopped into the seat in front of Conan, with Jiri sitting beside her.

"Dammit, that weird-ass dream screwed up my sleep schedule." Aiko groaned, feeling a faint flicker of fatigue tug at her.

"Did you eat something that didn't agree with your stomach?" Conan asked, taking a hold of some of Aiko's hair to play with it.

"I don't think it's that, Conan." Jiri shook his head, sitting sideways in his seat so that he could better talk with his friends. "I mean, think about it; we all know how Aragaki-san cooks; that man could make a feast for gods. I don't think there's anything unhealthy or something of that sort in their kitchen under pain of the garbage disposal." Aiko laughed at Jiri's comment, although it was rather accurate to how her father handled their kitchen. Conan also let a chuckle escape him, pushing his glasses back up on his nose before resuming his braiding.

"Nah, it wasn't that." Aiko shifted slightly, not wanting to budge too much as Conan continued. "And it certainly wasn't as weird as the Hamlet-quoting Jiri-Eggplant dream I told you about." Jiri let out a loud laugh at that, making Aiko shrug. "I don't think anything will top that one, honestly, but this one came pretty close. For starters, I was on the moon."

"The moon, eh?" Conan asked, finishing one braid and starting on a new one. "I never really took you as much of a moon person, Aiko. You're much too down to earth for that sort of thing." Aiko shrugged at that, and Conan went on, "What happened while you were up there? Martians tried to abduct you?" Aiko let out a snort at the suggestion, making Conan grin at her. "Yeah, good point; you'd beat the snot out of them before they even tried to carry it out."

"Why do you both keep talking like I beat up people for a hobby?" Aiko pouted jokingly, making the boys burst out laughing.

"The fact that my mother – and all of the Inaba Police Force, for that matter – knows you by name." Jiri chuckled, kicking back in his seat. "Garbage Girl and all that." Laughing at Aiko's scowl, he folded his arms behind his head. "Not that it's a bad thing, really; it means I have someone to spar with without getting bruised."

"Like how I broke your nose the first time we met?" Aiko chuckled, shaking her head. "Goof."

"Only because you threw me into the garbage can." Jiri leaned over and prodded her, only to get prodded back. "I bet if we sparred again, I'd be the one who wins."

"How much money you willing to put on that, Hanamura?" Reaching out, Aiko snagged Jiri and put him in a headlock. "You and I both know that you're easily distracted."

"No fair, Aiko-chan! That was cheap!"

"… What did I miss?" Minato had chosen that moment to walk into the classroom. Standing there baffled at the sight of his niece holding a brunet boy in a headlock - with Conan not even bothered by the events as he kept braiding Aiko's hair – the man began to wonder if he should have had coffee instead of his normal cup of tea.

"Oh, hello Uncle." Conan waved at him. "Has the first bell rung yet?" His comment seemed to catch Aiko and Jiri's attention, because the two broke apart and settled themselves more. Dreading what this could mean for the rest of the school year, Minato put his books down on the desk.

"No, but I figured it would be smartest to head up here and settle in before that happened." Looking the teens over, he sighed. "And here I thought Naoto was joking when she said I'd be looking after you three … Hopefully it won't be too much of a hassle compared to some of the stuff that happened while I was teaching in Osaka."

"Ah, we won't try to cause too many problems then." Jiri piped up, still chuckling a faint bit. Minato turned to him and nodded, making the orange haired boy grin as well. "Well, it's good to meet you then; if you're anything like Naoto-san, I don't think the three of us will be able to get away with anything." As he spoke, Jiri gave Aiko a knowing glance; she ignored him in favor of pulling out Innocent Sin to start reading. "Ah, she always does this when I'm winning the argument."

"What argument?" Aiko didn't bother looking up from her book as she deadpanned, making Minato sweatdrop; that was something Naoto and Shinjiro had been good at … About ready to open his mouth, he heard the bell ringing, and the three teens came to semi-attention at the sound, and Minato headed back to his desk. The moment he reached it, the rest of the class came pouring in, some of them still half asleep and mumbling.

"Alright, well, it's back to the daily grind." He spoke up after the students got themselves settled, looking at them with a knowing set of blue eyes. "Trust me, I know how boring class can be, especially with weather this nice." Propping one hand on the side of his desk, Minato gave the students in front of him a dangerous smile. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to be a blow-off class. Not only do you have me for homeroom, but you'll be seeing me for English Composition as well."

That got him a collective groan, and it took all of Minato's strength not to laugh at them. "And now, with that out of the way, I am Arisato-sensei. This is my first year at Yasogami personally, so you might know the ropes better than me. But don't think that means you can try and sneak anything past me; I'm a quick study." He eyed a set of students behind Conan, who seemed to perk up at the notion of a new teacher. "While I'm new here, I've been teaching for twelve years now, and the past ten of them were in Osaka; that should explain my accent before any of you are tempted to ask about it." That got a snort out of Aiko, who had put away her book.

Minato made a mental note to keep an eye on the students in the back before giving the class a knowing eye once again. "Alright, now that you know who I am, it's time I figured out which students I'm going to have to keep my eye on." With that, he picked up the ledger that had student names on it. In front of him, Aiko muttered something about 'going back to hell' before paying attention; English was one of her weakest subjects, and the last English teacher had put her to sleep during the lectures. Shaking his head in amusement, Minato began to read off the ledger; this sounded like it would be an interesting school year …

* * *

_Well, this chapter doesn't have too much to comment on apart from it being Labrys's introduction. It really just is the old chapter revised and edited to flow better. (And Labrys-sensei is awesome.) _


	4. Messenger from the Darkness

The sun was rising as Shinjiro sat at the table, sipping from a cup of coffee. He normally didn't get up this early, but he hadn't been sleeping well recently, and it worried him. "The last time my sleep was this troubled was right before Hamuko died …" Shinjiro noted to himself, grimacing as he glanced at Hamuko's picture, grey-brown eyes worried. Worry flashed across Shinjiro's eyes again, and he stared out the window at the rising sun. "… Come to think of it, things have been almost too quiet recently … even for here in Inaba. Did they finally give up?"

Shaking his head, Shinjiro took another sip of coffee. "… I wonder how Aki's doing…" He mused, staring out the window as the light slowly grew brighter. He and his best friend had kept in contact over the years, now that the issues from their teenage years had been resolved or forgotten. "I suppose that I should give him a call, see if anything strange is going on in Iwatodai." Sighing, Shinjiro stood up and finished his coffee, placing the empty mug in the sink.

As if reading his thoughts, the phone rang. Half wondering if it was someone from work calling in sick again and looking for a sub – Shinjiro didn't work Saturday afternoons and Sundays normally – he wandered over to where the phone was. "Heh, talk about timing, it's Aki." Smirking in spite of himself, Shinjiro picked up the phone and answered it. "Did you have the midnight to six shift at the station, Aki? You're normally not up until ten on Sundays." He joked into the phone, grinning when he heard Akihiko laughing on the other end of the line.

_"And you sleep in until eight in the morning every day of the week; I know your work hours too, Shinji_." Akihiko retorted, still chuckling. The two of them had long discarded the typical 'hello' when calling one another, mainly because it annoyed Shinjiro to have to say it when he knew who it was. _"Did Aiko get you up super early again for some bizarre reason, or did you just fall out of bed again?"_

"No, I just woke up at midnight." Shinjiro responded, rolling his eyes. "I went to bed earlier than normal last night, and I couldn't get back to sleep when midnight hit."

_"No sleep at all? That's not good; the last time you were like this was … After Hamuko-chan's funeral …"_ Akihiko tapered off, but the chuckles had escaped his voice_. "You're normally not the sort of person who has a hard time sleeping, so for you to be restless …"_ Shinjiro could almost see Akihiko now; still dressed in his uniform from work (the tie probably undone by this point), leaning against a table with one hand while lost in thought. Hell, he was probably drumming his fingers while he talked – he'd always done that when thinking. _"… Has anything of 'that' sort happened recently?"_ Akihiko asked after several moments of silence, voice cautious.

"No. Hell, I haven't had that sort of problem for five years now, and personally, that's what worries me." Shinjiro responded, looking up towards Aiko's bedroom again. "I doubt they've given up completely though, but what would make them back off so suddenly?" A new thought flashed through Shinjiro's mind, once that made him shudder just thinking about it. "… Do you think that they might be up to something big?"

_"Actually, to be completely honest, Shinji …"_ Akihiko paused for a moment, making Shinjiro's nerves worse. _"They've gone dead quiet over here too. Right after that last incident you had with 'them', we haven't been able to track anything like them. Not even Fuuka can find a trace of them. It's like they vanished off the face of the earth for some reason."_ At this, Akihiko stopped again. _"… You didn't-"_

"No, Aki, I didn't." Shinjiro shook his head with a heavy sigh. "I'm not stupid. If I had, they would have swarmed the place. Do you think I want to risk that?"

_"No, no, you don't. I didn't think that you would, if only because of the fact that Aiko doesn't know yet."_ Akihiko sighed in return, and Shinjiro suspected the other man was shaking his head. "_If there's one thing that's changed since you became a father, it's that you lost your reckless streak … mostly."_ Shinjiro snorted.

"Hey, I ain't letting them get my daughter, Aki." He retorted, chuckling darkly. "There's no way in hell that's going to happen."

_"Don't say that Shinji; we've been through hell, remember?"_ Akihiko was rolling his eyes as he spoke, Shinjiro could just tell. _"Anyway, how are things over there? Still working at the diner?"_

"Where else would I be working?" Shinjiro was glad that they had changed the subject, if only for the sake of his nerves. "I had enough with risking my life for a living after we got through with Tartarus and the Abyss of Time, and we both know high school and college didn't agree with me. I'm happy in the kitchen, so that's how I'm making a living. That and the pay's damn good."

Akihiko just laughed._ "Considering how good of a cook you are, it better be a damn good pay. I know Mitsuru would pay you to cook if you still lived here in Iwatodai. Hell, most of the time I'm the one that's doing the cooking, if I can chase the regular staff out of the kitchen for more than half an hour."_

"You needed the practice anyway."

_"Hey!" _chuckling a bit, Akihiko seemed to sober up a bit. "_But how's Aiko doing? Has she shown any signs of …?" _

"Not that I'm aware of." Shinjiro shook his head. "She's got the potential, but she hasn't woken up to it yet." Not bothering to fight off the sigh of relief in his voice at the thought of it, he looked into his tea. "Although there's also the chance she's a demon summoner, but I don't know if that would be better or worse for her …"

"_Knowing her, I'd say worse. From what you've said about Hamuko's extended family …" _

"It's not so much her siblings and 'ojii-sama', it's the rest of them." Shaking his head, Shinjiro looked out the window. "It's why Aiko and I rarely go to family meetings that involve said extended family." Frowning a bit, Shinjiro searched around to find a new topic. "… I know that this is a long shot, but have you guys found anything …?"

"…_No, Shinji. I'm sorry." _Akihiko's voice was heavy. _"We've been keeping our eyes peeled, and Yamagishi's been looking, but we haven't found anything yet. I'm sorry." _

"It ain't your fault, Aki. Get some sleep." Shinjiro looked at his empty coffee mug again as he spoke, relaxing when Aki sighed and said goodbye before handing up. Getting up and putting the mug in the sink, he leaned on the windowsill, watching the sun slowly rise in the distance. The mist that lingered around the home seemed to flicker and dance in the growing light, almost like there was something dancing in the mist.

A flicker of movement near the peach tree out front caught his eye. Frowning, he moved the window curtain aside to get a better look.

Nothing.

A second flicker came a few seconds later, but it turned out to be a doe with a pair of fawns, getting up from where they appeared to have been sleeping at the foot of the large tree. The sight made Shinjiro relax a bit; there were a lot of deer in the area, and the doe was one Aiko had nursed when the poor thing had broken a leg. 'She probably needs some food for herself and the babies …' Getting up to get some food, Shinjiro heard a faint noise going on upstairs. "Ah, she's awake."

* * *

Aiko groaned as her phone started ringing; she had seen enough of the caller i.d. to know that it was Jiri calling her. "Crazy kung-fu junkie with his stupid five a.m. training times asking me if I wanna fight him instead of realizing I need some fucking sleep …" Grumbling more, she picked up the phone. "Th' hell you callin me at six in the morning on a SUNDAY for, Jiri?"

"_ah, I always forget how cranky you are when you get woken up early." _Jiri was laughing a bit, wide awake. "_Well, I'll let you get back to sleep, but just letting you know that Rin has a softball game later on if you wanted to tag along and come spectate with me."_

"Did that really require callin me at six?" Aiko raised her voice a bit, grumpy.

"_Alright Sleeping Beauty, sorry I woke you up. Go back to hugging Tookie-chan and sleep away until noon~!" _Jiri hung up before Aiko could reply, making her scowl and shove her phone under the pillow. She wasn't as mad as she let on; the two of them often had conversations like that, with her waking Jiri up after midnight to pester help on English homework out of him, or him waking her up early asking for a spar or a jog.

"I'm gonna kick his ass when I go see 'im later on …" Mumbling, the auburn snuggled under her covers more, not wanting to get out of bed yet. The first week of school had been a pain, and she wanted to enjoy what little bit of extra sleep she could get, her orange-haired friend calling her again or not.

She had almost faded out when she groaned and was jarred back to wakefulness.

_**"Dream of Butterfly, or is life a dream?**_

_**Don't wanna wake up, coz' I'm happier here."**_

Scowling and grabbing the phone, Aiko went to look at the caller I.D to see if it was Jiri calling again –noting that it had been about ten minutes since he had called – and groggily shook her head when she just saw a Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ instead of a name, or even an 'unknown'. Not knowing what else to do, she answered the phone. "… Hello?"

_"Ah, good, I was able to get a hold of you."_ It was a young man's voice, oddly polite and well polished. It was certainly not one of her friends, that was for certain; not even JIRI could talk like this and keep a straight face. Puzzled, Aiko could only listen as the man continued talking. _"I would have gotten a hold of you earlier on, but unfortunately, more severe circumstances have pressed upon me, so I'll be unable to reach you for some time after this."_

"… Who is this?" Aiko finally managed to get out, voice confused. Normally, spam callers at least referred to her by name and didn't act like they had known her for years. "Why are you calling me?"

"_All will be shown in time …" _There was a soft chuckle from the young man, who hung up before Aiko could ask him anything else.

Scowling and glaring at her phone, she tossed it onto the floor. "Friggen spam …" Snuggling under the blankets and grabbing her stuffed wolf again, she felt sleep creeping up over her again. The soft rattling downstairs puzzled her, but it wasn't worth crawling out of bed and getting dressed. The cracked window let in the soft breeze, the scent of mist and peach blossoms lulling her to sleep again.

Shinjiro found her like that two hours later, dressed and ready to go about to do errands. There were circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep, but he didn't have to work for the next couple of days. Shaking his head in amusement at the sight of Aiko half out of the covers in a night shirt and hugging her old plush, he walked over and shook her shoulder. "Aiko. Time to wake up."

"…Fine …" Grumbling, she pushed herself upright, hair a mess. "Jiri asked if I'd go to Rin's softball game … idiot didn't realize he didn't have to call at the crack of dawn."

"That explains why I heard you swearing." Shinjiro deadpanned. "I thought you had fallen out of bed again." Smirking a bit at Aiko's scowl, he shook his head. "I'm going to run about and do some errands today, Aiko. Do you need me to pick up anything for you while I'm out?"

"Just a new charger for my laptop; the old one finally died halfway through my homework last night." Stretching as she yawned, the teen noticed her father's state. "And you don't look like you slept well either, Dad. Something wrong?"

"Just didn't sleep well." Shaking his head, Shinjiro smiled and ruffled Aiko's hair, ignoring her protest. "I'll be fine; just expect me to crash after dinner tonight." Aiko's knowing smile made him relax, and he turned to give her some privacy. "Alright, I'll be headed out then; don't forget to grab your keys today."

"Gotcha." Smiling, Aiko got out of bed and started getting dressed as her father closed the door.

In the hallway, Shinjiro leaned on the wall for a moment, gripping near his heart area. There had been a small flare of pain the night before, so his 'errands' included checking in with a doctor. He knew Aiko would panic and insist she come along to the Doctor's with him instead of hanging out with her friends. His health had always worried her, but he was doing fine.

"Just gotta keep out of fighting too much … But knowing my luck …" Sighing as he headed out the door, he glanced at the small gap between the wall and the fridge. When he made sure everything there was in place, he nodded, heading out into the sunlight as he stuck his keys into his coat pocket. Aiko's bedroom window was still open, and Sumizome was eating on the windowsill. "I hope she won't get into any trouble."

A few minutes of walking later, Shinjiro went rigid. He felt like something was following him, but turning around just showed other people heading to and from the shopping district and downtown. Nobody seemed to stand out as a threat, and it didn't seem like anyone in particular was following him … Still on his guard, he began walking again, a hand slipping to his inner breast pocket.

* * *

Aiko smiled and shook her head, enjoying the crisp air outside. "It's starting to warm up a bit~" Stretching her arms out over her head, she felt an eyebrow tick as a peach blossom flew into her face. "… I could have done without that, wind." Picking the blossom off of her face, she blew it away as she walked, checking her phone for the time. "Okay, I've got a few hours until I have to head out and meet Jiri and the Hanamuras … oomph!" caught off guard as someone small tackled her legs, she glanced down into a bright pair of hazel eyes against dark brown hair.

"Aiko-chan! Momma 'n' Poppa don't work today, so they brought me 'n' Kaede down for a picnic!" Laughing, the little girl hugged Aiko around the waist. "I was gonna bring you some flowers from the riverbed for fixin up my bun-bun toy." Aiko shook her head in amusement, ruffling the girl's hair and peeling her off of her waist.

"Hi to you too, Rukia. And you'd want to give those flowers to Conan, not me. I just brought the toy for him." Shaking her head in amusement, Aiko looked up and smiled as she saw Rukia's mother running towards them. "You lose this little girl here, Officer Dojima?" Picking up the five-year-old, Aiko grinned as the woman gave her an exasperated smile, brown hair falling in her face.

"Aiko, I've told you before that I'm married now. You don't have to keep calling me Officer Dojima." Smiling as she hoisted her daughter onto a hip, she bopped Aiko on the head despite the height difference. "Besides, I babysat you when you were Rukia's age; you can call me by my name, girl." Wincing and rubbing her head – leave it to an officer to pack a punch – Aiko nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry Nanako-san …" Shaking her head as she gave Nanako a smile, she noted that the woman looked different out of uniform. A magenta and white sweater with tan pants set off chocolate brown hair that hung down and long for once instead of the tight braid she wore for work. Rukia's clothes were hidden by her too big raincoat decorated with sheep and stars, but it was cute. "So your family's here for a picnic?"

"Yeah. Ken's back from overseas work, and I had the day off. Dad's at a providential meeting, so today's the day to raise a ruckus if you want." Aiko just laughed at that.

"And get a lecture on the phone from the Chief? No thanks; I'll be with the Hanamura family all day today anyway."

"Ah, good, Chie-senpai can keep an eye on you then." Nanako's grin turned wolfish, making Rukia laugh at Aiko's sulking. Shaking her head more, Nanako laughed a bit. "Seriously though, you're not that big of a bother, Aiko. Hell, you make it easier for us half the time. Have you ever considered going into the police force when you're done with school?"

Aiko flinched a bit. "Ah … Once when I was little, but not so much anymore …" Shaking her head, she gave a wry smile. "Besides, I'd drive everyone else in the force outta work." Both women laughed at that, with Rukia giggling. A man shouting from nearby made Nanako turn, and Aiko just gave a small smile. "Well, enjoy the family outing, alright? I've gotta go run off towards Jiri's place and pester him for a bit, okay? I was invited along to Rin's softball game."

"Ah, gotcha. Have fun." Waving goodbye, Nanako smiled and watched Aiko head off, hearing her husband run up to stand by her with their toddler on his shoulders. "What's wrong, Ken?" She asked, able to tell that something had shocked him. Turning to look at him, she felt an eyebrow raise as his look of pure and utter shock.

Ken's face was one of pure shock, not easy for him to hide even now as an adult. "Was that …?"

* * *

(_Evening …)  
_Shinjiro groaned a bit, setting his bags down on the kitchen counter. He had taken longer than he would have liked at the doctor's office, but the place had been swamped. "At the least, nothing's too threatening at this point. Just gotta be careful they don't tear any new holes in my lungs." Taking his shoes off as he walked into the den, the man sat down. Aiko was still out with her friends, judging by the lack of her boots, and the fact that there was no food out on the counters.

"I hope she's doing good." Chuckling, Shinjiro shook his head and picked up Hamuko's picture, smiling at it. "I worry about her a lot, Hamuko … it really makes me wish you were here to help raise her …" Sighing and setting the picture down, he felt his eyes slip shut; the lack of sleep the night before had begun to catch up to him.

The sound of the door opening slightly made him jolt awake.

Knowing it wasn't Aiko due to the dead silence, Shinjiro tensed, reaching behind the sofa. "Who's there." The growl in his voice wasn't easy to miss, and most thieves realized the hard way that they had wandered into the lion's den right away. This seemed to be one of the bolder ones, as there was the sound of shoes coming deeper into the house. Frowning, Shinjiro grabbed one of the knives he kept hidden for this sort of concern, watching as the intruder stopped in front of the stairs leading to the second story.

Whoever they were, they dressed like they were from the Taisho Era. A black trench coat covered whatever the person was wearing, and a fedora was pulled low over his face, showing only pale lips. Even more on guard – how had the person not been nailed by the police yet – Shinjiro kept his eyes locked on the stranger.

The stranger lifted their head enough to show one eye, a flash of pure gold shining from the paper-white skin. _"There you are." _The voice sounded mercilessly hollow, sending a chill down Shinjiro's spine. "_The one who safeguards the Key … How you managed to hide in such plain sight for years is impressive."_ A smirk seemed to appear across his face, combined with the eyes and white skin making it look purely unnerving. "_Too bad it has all been for nothing." _

With that, the man lunged, a spear of light appearing in his hand to impale Shinjiro. Shocked, it took a stroke of luck for Shinjiro to block with the knife he now had in his hands. He needed to get the stop sign out of the closet, but parrying a spear with a knife wasn't the easiest thing to do. Perhaps he could pin the coat …

Eyes widening as the spear came at him again, the man ducked, ignoring the flare of pain near his heart. Dammit, why did this have to happen …? Driving the knife through the attacking man's pant leg, he rolled and darted for the closet. Gripping the worn metal of the old stop sign, Shinrjio drew it out in time to block the spear being thrown at him. The weapon pierced through the metal part of the sign, stopping an inch before his face. Not taking any chances, Shinjiro drew it out and dropped it, rolling up and taking a swing at the other man.

He landed a direct hit to the man's head, knocking off the fedora to reveal blood red hair that reached the man's shoulders. It fell over his face in a tangled mess from both the hit and from being under the hat for so long, but those golden eyes didn't notice. "_So you still have some fight in you …" _Creating another spear, the man attacked again. "_Too bad it will not save your life this time!" _

Caught off guard, Shinjiro parried as best as he could, focusing on the attacker. He needed to end this as fast as he could, but how …?

"Dad, I'm home!"

Shinjiro paled.

"Aiko, get the hell out of here!" He shouted, kicking the attacking man in the stomach. "Get to your aunt 'n uncle!"

"Dad, what the hell are y-" AIko chose that moment to enter the living room, eyes widening in shock when the man's spear came dangerously close to her. "What the hell!?" Sounding far more scared than normal, she fled backwards a bit, dropping the bag she had been carrying. "Who the hell is this?!"

"Dammit Aiko, run!" Shinjiro tackled the other male as he spoke, trying to give Aiko more time to bolt. However, the red-haired male tossed him aside with ease, turning to look at Aiko as the teen hit the door to the outside, eyes wide in shock. Standing up, the man leveled the spear at Aiko, the blade inches away from her neck.

"_So you have returned after all, lunar princess. That makes my job that much simpler." _A smirk grew over the white face once more. Aiko couldn't move, paralyzed by fear, staring up at the gold eyes with something akin to sheer horror. The smirk grew more, and the spear was drawn back for what could only be a fatal thrust.

The man was stopped when a primal roar hit his ears, and Shinjiro tackled him from behind. The weapon had been dropped in favor of pure, adrenaline-fueled brawling. Aiko's cry of shock and fear only added more fuel to the fire, and Shinjiro found himself fighting harder, ignoring his body warning him of stress and strain from lack of practice.

Before long, however, his felt sharp pain in his left lung, making him freeze and cough. He could taste copper in his mouth; shit, the shrapnel …! The stranger took advantage to twist around, palms placed at Shinjiro's stomach. A small flare of silver and metallic blue fire appeared in the gap, exploding with a loud bang.

Completely caught off guard, Shinjiro went flying. Hitting the coffee table with enough force to break the hardwood, he let out a shout of pain and blacked out, hearing Aiko's scream of pure fear stabbing him in the heart.

* * *

_So I was supposed to update yesterday ... but then Fire Emblem: Awakening arrived and consumed my soul _

_Sorry. _

_Anyway, this is where things start changing up big time. I greatly prefer this version, honestly. _


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